A Circumstance in a Different Light
by Setsuri
Summary: harry suffers minor agoraphobia and is potentially a squib after his parents are attacked by death eaters and suffer from madness. AU
1. An introduction and a new perspective

A circumstance in another light  
  
Author's note: wow story hasn't begun and I'm ranting... anyways I saw a fic a day or two ago and sadly forget it's name or author but they had Neville as the one who became famous instead of Harry. I'm taking a similar approach except one step further. Harry's parents are not dead but driven mad by cruciatus as Neville's had been and Neville's parents died. Both will have grown up with the guardians they had in the books but does a scar and the way in which things occur change their life?  
  
p.s. if you're still listening I don't own this...   
  
Harry woke up and got out of his cupboard, it was sort of creepy but he found it comfortable enough. It was much better then what is now Dudley's spare bedroom. When he was two his home was attacked by cloaked men... he became uneasy in large spaces since. Aunt Petunia was nice though, she took in Harry and cared for him when it became apparent his parents would be incapable. It was awkward at first because of her husband and son but they soon came to appreciate the well-mannered, although somewhat skittish young boy.   
  
flashback   
  
"Hello Petunia Dursley, it is a pleasure speaking with you, my name is Albus Dumbledore I am many things and one of them is executor of James and Lily's will-"  
  
Petunia looked disgusted at the white beared man and exclaimed " What is there to execute? They aren't dead, you said so yourself when you phoned me and asked me to meet you here!"  
  
Dumbledore faced Petunia with a forlorn expression, " that is true but at this point and time we've found the source of the problem with your sister and her husband, they suffered prolonged exposure to the cruciatus curse, as did their son Harry however it appears he is doing well enough mentally."  
  
"Cruciatus curse what is that supposed to mean and why would I care about the boys welfare? What does any of this have to do with me or my family?" Petunia was very quickly getting sick of this old man and hoped to end this and get home as soon as possible to avoid a tantrum tomorrow from Dudley for not being home in time to tuck him in and read him a bedtime story.  
  
"The cruciatus curse is a curse so terrible it is called 'unforgivable' and is deemed illegal. The reason it is unforgivable is because there is no known way to prevent or block it and it attacks the central nervous system making the person feel excruciating pain. Prolonged exposure can cause madness or mental instability as well as loss of magic. Lily and James are both unfit to raise a child and will be kept in a wizarding institution for cases like theirs, Harry however shows no noticeable damage. You are stated as guardian for Harry in their will, and that is how this relates to your family."  
  
"Vernon hates magic... at my wedding my sister... We can't take in the child I'm sorry!"  
  
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled before responding; " Harry is believed to be equivalent to a squib in terms of magical power. He is no more magical then you are. You were not the first choice in James and Lily's will but I think you would agree that it would be cruel to raise him around magic when it is quite possible he'll be incapable of ever casting a spell?"  
  
Petunia's jaw dropped, her nephew incapable of magic? She remembered how she envied her sister and how it hurt her seeing how happy she was with her dreamlike life while she was left to face the 'real' world alone. She didn't want Harry growing up with magic all around him only to find one day he couldn't do it himself. She had resolved herself to give Harry another life and the best education she could in order to help him be the best person he could be.   
  
The twinkle was going full blast as Dumbledore made a quick amendment to his statement- "Ms.Dursley, there is one minor detail I forgot to mention. As Harry is still young it is uncertain whether or not the magic test is accurate. His name will be erased from the Hogwarts pre-registry for now but there is still a chance it will appear there on it's own like any other unregistered student when he turns 11. If that happens I will insist he attend. Other then that Harry will be brought to your home tomorrow morning. Good day"  
  
And with that Dumbledore disappeared and Petunia began to think of her new nephew.  
  
flashback ends  
  
After waking up Harry helped his aunt make breakfast, he enjoyed these moments where he did housework together with her they were usually silent except for the odd whistle or hum of a tune but they made Harry feel loved. Making meals was his favourite because it was always apparent how much it was appreciated- although sometimes they can be appreciated too much as is the case with Dudley and his admittedly large weight problem. Dudley wasn't very kind to Harry, but as the saying goes don't bite the hand that feeds you. Dudley learned this fast when he found his portions grow smaller and not enough for seconds for an entire month after he'd made a jab at Harry for fearing large spaces.  
  
After breakfast was finished and the morning chores completed Harry and aunt Petunia began their lessons. Petunia felt warm inside when she acknowledged the fact that if Harry was not invited to that ....'school' this year she would need to hire a proper tutor to teach her nephew, as he had already surpassed he level she was capable of teaching at home.   
  
If Harry had gone to school rather then being home taught he would already be four grades ahead of his age group in most subjects.  
  
He wondered why his aunt seemed so anxious lately it was as if she was waiting for a bomb to drop but that couldn't be the case could it?  
  
Author: please read and review umm....I know there is little action but the plot will move faster from here I will continue this if it gets a decent response. 


	2. In which misunderstandings are made

Chapter two: the other foot falls or was that shoe?

Two evenings ago Harry had seen an owl drop a letter off to his aunt. It was quite odd as he couldn't figure out who would take all the time and trouble to train an owl that well and then just have it send letters. I mean the postman was just fine at making sure he dropped off the mail as he should.

However Harry pulled himself out of that tangent before it could get too far. The real reason that he was concerned about it was that his aunt began to bawl the moment she looked at the letter and has since been listless and upset. Uncle Vernon has also been terribly angry with him and Dudley has taken his parents current distraction to torment Harry as much as possible.

And this is what leads to the present where Harry is sitting in his cupboard contemplating and rubbing his sore muscles from the torture they've received from his cousin.

Harry POV

I just don't get it I hate this it's now three days and Vernon keeps yelling at me and Dudley has given me so many bruises and most importantly aunt Petunia won't speak to me or let me do any chores. I don't have any new books to read, or assignments to do and I just don't know. Dudley said I should go outside and play if I'm so bored but he outdoors is scary and bad things happen out there… I can't leave but the if this keeps up I can't stay.

There is a loud crashing at the front door and I see a man in black yelling at my aunt. He knows my name and is asking for me. I can see through the grate that what he is wearing is long like a dress. I feel fright take me over, I remember the black cloaked men and an image I had long forgotten of a happy woman and man holding me, the woman had red hair. She held me close and protected me best she could and then the men hurt her and the man with her. I don't know much more than that but a memory of blinding pain.

The man pushes my aunt so hard she falls. I wish I weren't so afraid, even though Aunt Petunia hasn't spoken to me recently I love her, she has always been there. I try to call on my bravery but it won't come. I'm a coward, the thumping can only mean Dudley and Uncle Vernon have come to help my aunt thank god. I couldn't do anything to help her but they can they're strong. I hear angry cries and then nothing. I sit there and cry at my weakness.

The man calls out my name, gruffly at first then getting gentler until it hits something near panic. I wish I weren't here that I wouldn't exist that he wouldn't be able to find me. The man curses the wards around my home. I don't get what he is talking about the man must be crazed now he is saying how he can't use magic to find me because of the wards. Maybe the guy is talking about some kind of technology I didn't cover with Aunt Petunia, maybe it's some kind of street slang. I'm not sure but if this man really is talking about 'magic' then he's likely some escaped mental patient and I don't want to deal with that.

It's too late, he's opened the door to the cupboard he sees me.

Third Person Narrative

Severus looked into the cupboard and saw the small pale boy inside. The bruises on his face and arms left him wanting to harm those useless muggles however 'admirable' their attempts at 'protecting' the boy were. Severus is a fairly skeptical and cynical man with a very low opinion of muggles.

He reached for the boy who squeeked and fell back in fright desperately crawling deeper into the cupboard. It would figure that a child living under these conditions would be terrified of him. Severus had had enough kind thoughts for the day and decided to grab the kid and go he snatched the squirming child and pulled him out of the closet. The boy stared at him wide eyed with tears streaking down his face, hm maybe he did have one more kind act for the day in him. He lifted his wand and cast a sleeping spell on the boy.

Once outside the perimeter Severus activated the portkey he'd been carrying and from there made his way to Hogwarts with the kid in tow.

However when the boy woke up they would find themselves in a new world of trouble.


	3. Chapter 3

When Harry awoke he was in a strange place surrounded by strange people fussing over him. The room itself was eerie, large and white. He was easily twice the size of the living room at the Dursleys home. He found himself getting more and more bothered by the space and the crowding. It was intense and troubling, it had been years since he'd been in such a large place or in a place with so many people all in the same spot and even when he had the focus of attention was not himself. Of course even here the attention was not wholly focused on his person as there seemed to be a great deal of talk about what to do with the arrival of another boy who would also begin training this same year at this Hogwarts. He was beginning to suspect the word was a reference to a school and more than likely his current location. He wanted desperatly to return to the solitude of the Dursley home and his enlightening conversations with his aunt about, well about anything really.

He stopped going outside after a particularly bad hazing at his elementary school. His aunt never pushed him to return, she knew it was difficult for him being brighter than many of his yearmates and figured keeping him home would prevent future conflicts arising between her son Dudley and him. Having Harry homeschooled kept everyone in the family happy, they liked living peaceful, normal lives without undue attention being put on things that for them were part of their everyday lives. Petunia had worried about Harry's reluctance to leave four Privet drv. but never pressed the issue, she had to admit she was apt to spoil her beloved boys from time to time and what they wanted they got. Harry wanted nothing more than to be just Harry and shut himself off from the the world with the exception of his studies and for the time being she let him.

But this is far from the point, Harry was no longer in his home, his sanctuary but a new place. One with large turrets, crowds of people talking nonsense about spells and the aftereffects of them. Talking about Dark lords and saviours. Talking about a young boy named Neville being the "saviour" of their world and for the life of him Harry with all his smarts couldn't make sense of a world that expected a young boy to be the only solution to their problems. As he held his eyes closed and ears open he began to think and plan. He recalled words falling from the mouth of the dark man who ripped him from his home about him never returning. Harry knew there was no way he was going to let that happen. He needed to think, discover what upset the Dursley's-- His being a Wizard, The People who would be taking him, or perhaps they knew ahead the strangeness of these peoples thoughts, the sheer lack of logic and common sense...yup Harry answered his own question. The Dursley's particularly his aunt were very fond of order... and everything about this place seems to defy it. Whether it is by purpose or something that is inherent within magical beings he was uncertain so for now he would relent. He would speak with these people and be the scared child they expect of him. They would be heroes, nay ROLE MODELS to him. Then when he determined whether or not he could return to his family and mend the burned bridges he would. He would leave this world and it's magic, he'd heard enough to know it wasn't meant for him.

The headmaster and the order looked over the boy in the bed. They weren't happy with this development. Minerva was crowing about how she'd thought the Dursley's would be unfit guardians. That the boy could have grown up safely in their world it wasn't like he was the boy who lived. Perhaps it was strange he was attacked the same night as Neville but a great deal of Deatheater raids were made that Halloween night. He was one of many, nothing special save for his Parents who had been great aurors much like the Longbottoms, and fellow order members. He could have been groomed by an order member. What good was this boy now for cementing the loyalty of their saviour. He would have made a great tool, losing his family in all practical means the same night as Neville, growing up an orphan by the war Voldemort began. He would have been a perfect anchor to hold the Longbottom child to the light, to their cause. To emphasize his need to be strong should the Dark Lord reappear as they fear he one day might and face him as was his destiny. To prevent another generation of lost children like themselves. Now what did they have a boy in a hospital bed, mistreated in some manner. Raised muggle, hardly more than a squib for certain, this child was worthless. What would they do? Send him back? Send him to school, let him struggle with wandwork more than certainly over his head?

A decision was reached by both the people over and in the bed at the same time. It was time to make due.


End file.
